Oil Whores

On the very day that Larry Craig is once again trying to get his conviction for trying to have sex with a handsome young policeman in a toilet overturned, believe me, I'm not accusing Republican congressmen and Oil Industry whores John Shadegg and Charlie Dent of having illicit sex with women (or men) provided to them by the oil companies... at least not yet. And besides, the oil companies give these two-- and more than 150 other Republicans-- enough money so that they can buy all the... favors they need or want (Shadegg has gotten $120,995 from Big Oil as of June 30 and Dent has scooped up $75,831 for their services.) So why bring it up? I didn't; the overly McCain-friendly A.P. did.

Government officials handling billions of dollars in oil royalties engaged in illicit sex with employees of energy companies they were dealing with and received numerous gifts from them, federal investigators said Wednesday.

The alleged transgressions involve 13 Interior Department employees in Denver and Washington. Their alleged improprieties include rigging contracts, working part-time as private oil consultants, and having sexual relationships with-- and accepting golf and ski trips and dinners from-- oil company employees, according to three reports released Wednesday by the Interior Department's inspector general.

The investigations reveal a "culture of substance abuse and promiscuity" by a small group of individuals "wholly lacking in acceptance of or adherence to government ethical standards," wrote Inspector General Earl E. Devaney.

The NY Times story is provocatively titled Sex, Drug Use and Graft...-- enough to make a casual reader roll their eyes and say, "On, no not another story about those trashy Palins!" It isn't-- but it's the same mentality. “'A culture of ethical failure' pervades the agency, Mr. Devaney wrote in a cover memo. The reports portray a dysfunctional organization that has been riddled with conflicts of interest, unprofessional behavior and a free-for-all atmosphere for much of the Bush administration’s watch."

The investigation also concluded that several of the officials “frequently consumed alcohol at industry functions, had used cocaine and marijuana, and had sexual relationships with oil and gas company representatives.”

The investigation separately found that the program’s manager mixed official and personal business. In sometimes lurid detail, the report also accuses him of having intimate relations with two subordinates, one of whom regularly sold him cocaine.

The culture of the organization “appeared to be devoid of both the ethical standards and internal controls sufficient to protect the integrity of this vital revenue-producing program,” one report said.

Yep, the Republican Party of America meets Livin' Palin!

Ever wonder why a bunch of congressional clowns got dressed up like Indians, waved air pressure gauges over their heads, giggling and debating in an empty chamber? "Drill, baby, drill," is all you can get out of clowns like Shadegg, Dent, Scott Garrett, Mike Pence, and Michael McCaul. But now we have to wonder what else besides the huge checks they've been getting from Big Oil in return for doing their bidding year after year after year, years that have led our country down a financial and energy rat hole. In Florida Senator Bill Nelson's words: "This all shows the oil industry holds shocking sway over the administration and even key federal employees. This is why we must not allow Big Oil's agenda to be jammed through Congress."

But jammin' is exactly what Big Oil and corrupt, sleazy shills like John McCain (R-AZ- $1,642,810), John Cornyn (R-TX- $1,317,825), Joe Barton (R-TX- $1,246,411), James Inhofe (R-OK- $1,090,023), Don Young (R-AK- $957,263), Mitch McConnell (R-KY- $673,861), Mary Landrieu (D-LA- $616,744), and Steve Pearce (R-NM- $615,874) have in mind.

And it's all about the bottom line, theirs and their political cronies', not ours. "The Republicans have just spent a month going completely frothy over the need to drill for oil and natural gas in every backyard in America, claiming it'll lower gasoline prices at the pump. But did you know that in the meantime, they've been preparing to secret all that natural gas out of the country and sell it to the Japanese?"